Coordinating complementary notifications across related computing devices connected to a wireless charging apparatus

ABSTRACT

The embodiments set forth a technique for coordinating notifications across computing devices placed onto a wireless charging apparatus. According to some embodiments, the technique can involve the wireless charging apparatus (1) receiving, from a first computing device, first information that includes (i) a first unique identifier (ID) associated with the first computing device, and (ii) one or more unique IDs that are each associated with a respective auxiliary computing device known to the first computing device. Subsequently, the wireless charging apparatus can receive, from a second computing device, second information that at least includes a second unique ID associated with the second computing device. Finally, the wireless charging apparatus can, in response to determining that the second unique ID is included in the one or more unique IDs, and cause both the first and second computing devices to display respective notifications in a coordinated manner.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/353,941, entitled “COORDINATING COMPLEMENTARY NOTIFICATIONSACROSS RELATED COMPUTING DEVICES CONNECTED TO A WIRELESS CHARGINGAPPARATUS,” filed Mar. 14, 2019, set to issue as U.S. Pat. No.10,778,023 on Sep. 15, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/721,478, entitled “COORDINATING COMPLEMENTARYNOTIFICATIONS ACROSS RELATED COMPUTING DEVICES CONNECTED TO A WIRELESSCHARGING APPARATUS,” filed Sep. 29, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,270,270,issued Apr. 23, 2019, which claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/514,875, entitled “SYNCHRONIZING COMPLEMENTARYNOTIFICATIONS ACROSS RELATED COMPUTING DEVICES CONNECTED TO A WIRELESSCHARGING APPARATUS,” filed Jun. 4, 2017, and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/556,362, entitled “COORDINATING COMPLEMENTARYNOTIFICATIONS ACROSS RELATED COMPUTING DEVICES CONNECTED TO A WIRELESSCHARGING APPARATUS,” filed Sep. 9, 2017, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

FIELD

The described embodiments relate generally to a wireless (e.g.,inductive) charging apparatus capable of receiving/charging two or morecomputing devices. More particularly, the described embodiments involveenabling related computing devices to display complementarynotifications in a coordinated manner as they are placed onto andremoved from the wireless charging apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Recent years have shown a proliferation in the average number and typesof computing devices that are owned by individuals. For example, it iscommon for an individual to own a laptop device, a tablet device, asmartphone device, a wearable device (e.g., fitness tracker), a pair ofheadphones, and so on. Notably, owning these devices can deliver a richuser experience as each device can provide specialized functionality tomeet a given user's needs throughout the day. However, owning thesedevices can also present the ongoing challenge of effectively managingthe charge levels of the batteries included in these devices so they canbe readily utilized when needed. For example, charging multiple devicestypically involves a mass of cables that consumes space and is difficultto manage. Moreover, many of the aforementioned devices lack thecapability to display their battery statuses in a user-friendly manner.For example, battery statuses for wearable devices typically arepresented via small displays or LEDs that can be difficult for users tointerpret. As a result, users often fail to properly maintain thebattery levels of their devices, which leads to frustrating scenarioswhere a device is needed but cannot power-on or function for a desirableamount of time.

SUMMARY

To cure the foregoing deficiencies, the representative embodiments setforth herein disclose various techniques for enabling related computingdevices to display complementary notifications in a coordinated manneras they are placed onto and removed from a wireless charging apparatus.

According to some embodiments, a wireless charging apparatus can beconfigured to implement a method for carrying out the techniquesdescribed herein. In particular, the method can include the steps of (1)receiving, from a first computing device communicably coupled to thewireless charging apparatus, first information that includes (i) a firstunique identifier (ID) associated with the first computing device, and(ii) one or more unique IDs that are each associated with a respectiveauxiliary computing device known to the first computing device, (2)receiving, from a second computing device communicably coupled to thewireless charging apparatus, second information that at least includes asecond unique ID associated with the second computing device, and (3) inresponse to determining that the second unique ID is included in the oneor more unique IDs: causing both the first and second computing devicesto display respective notifications in a coordinated manner.

According to some embodiments, a computing device can also be configuredto implement a method for carrying out the techniques described herein.In particular, the method can include the steps of (1) providing, inresponse to establishing a communication channel with a wirelesscharging apparatus, (i) a first unique ID associated with the computingdevice, and (ii) one or more unique IDs that are each associated with arespective auxiliary computing device known to the computing device, (2)receiving, from the wireless charging apparatus, a notification that asecond computing device among the respective auxiliary computing devicesis communicatively coupled to the wireless charging apparatus, whereinthe notification includes a second battery status associated with thesecond computing device, (3) indicating, to the wireless chargingapparatus, a time delay by which a second indication of the secondbattery status is to be displayed by the second computing device, and(4) displaying the second indication of the second battery status inaccordance with the time delay.

Additionally, and according to some embodiments, a first computingdevice can be configured to participate in coordinated notifications(with other computing devices) in association with being placed onto andremoved from a wireless charging apparatus. In particular, the firstcomputing device can be configured to carry out steps that include (1)detecting a placement of the first computing device on the wirelesscharging apparatus. According to some embodiments, the first computingdevice can be configured to output a first indication of a first batterystatus of the first computing device in response to being placed on thewireless charging apparatus. Additionally, the steps can include (2)receiving a notification that a second computing device is placed on thewireless charging apparatus, (3) in response to identifying that thesecond computing device is known to the first computing device:receiving a second battery status associated with the second computingdevice, (4) indicating, to the second computing device, when a secondindication of the second battery status is to be output by the secondcomputing device, and (5) outputting the second indication of the secondbattery status. According to some embodiments, the second battery statuscan be output by both the first computing device and the secondcomputing device in a coordinated manner. According to some embodiments,the first computing device and the second computing device communicatewith one another over a cellular connection, a Bluetooth connection, aNear Field Communication (NFC) connection, or a WiFi connection.

Other embodiments include a non-transitory computer readable storagemedium configured to store instructions that, when executed by aprocessor included in a computing device, cause the computing device tocarry out the various steps of any of the foregoing methods. Furtherembodiments include a computing device that is configured to carry outthe various steps of any of the foregoing methods.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings that illustrate, by way of example, the principlesof the described embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals designate like structural elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of different computing devices thatcan be configured to implement different aspects of the varioustechniques described herein, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate conceptual diagrams of example computing devicesdisplaying complementary notifications in a coordinated manner as theyare placed onto and removed from the wireless charging apparatus,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method that involves a wireless charging apparatuscausing computing devices that are coupled to the wireless chargingapparatus to display complementary notifications in a coordinatedmanner, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates a method that involves a first computing devicecoupling to a wireless charging apparatus and displaying complementarynotifications in a coordinated manner with other related computingdevices that are coupled to the wireless charging apparatus, accordingto some embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method that involves example devices—in particular,a smartphone and a smart watch—displaying complementary notifications inaccordance with their placement onto a wireless charging apparatus,according to some embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a detailed view of a computing device that canrepresent the computing devices of FIG. 1 used to implement the varioustechniques described herein, according to some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Representative applications of apparatuses and methods according to thepresently described embodiments are provided in this section. Theseexamples are being provided solely to add context and aid in theunderstanding of the described embodiments. It will thus be apparent toone skilled in the art that the presently described embodiments can bepracticed without some or all of these specific details. In otherinstances, well known process steps have not been described in detail inorder to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presently describedembodiments. Other applications are possible, such that the followingexamples should not be taken as limiting.

The embodiments described herein set forth techniques for coordinatingcomplementary notifications across related computing devices they areplaced on to and removed from a wireless charging apparatus. Accordingto some embodiments, the wireless charging apparatus can be configuredto receive information from each computing device as it is placed ontothe wireless charging apparatus. This information can include, forexample, a unique identifier (ID) associated with the computing device,one or more unique IDs of other computing devices known to the computing(e.g., previously/actively paired computing devices), and a batterystatus of the computing device. In this manner, as new computing devicesare placed onto the wireless charging apparatus, the wireless chargingapparatus can reference the unique IDs to identify when at least tworelated computing devices are present. For example, when the wirelesscharging apparatus identifies that a first computing device and a secondcomputing device are (1) placed on the wireless charging apparatus, and(2) related to one another, the wireless charging apparatus can causethe first computing device to display information about the secondcomputing device on behalf of or in conjunction with informationdisplayed by the second computing device.

Consider, for example, a scenario in which the first computing device isa smartphone device, and the second computing device is a smaller devicethat is related to the smartphone device (e.g., a smart watch device).In this scenario, when the smart watch device is placed onto thewireless charging apparatus (with the smartphone device alreadypresent), the wireless charging apparatus can (1) identify therelationship between the devices, and (2) notify the smartphone deviceof the presence/battery status of the smart watch device. In turn, thesmartphone device can produce a notification associated with the batterystatus of the smart watch device, e.g., through one or moreanimations/sounds that provide a pleasant user experience. As mentionedabove, the smart watch device can also be configured to produce anotification in conjunction with the notification produced by thesmartphone device. In particular, the smartphone device can beconfigured to indicate, to the wireless charging apparatus, a time delaythat will be honored by the smartphone device prior to producing thenotification associated with the battery status of the smart watchdevice. In turn, the wireless charging apparatus provides the time delayto the smart watch device. In this manner, the smart watch device candisplay, in accordance with the time delay, a notification that includesone or more animations/sounds that complement the animations/soundsincluded in the notification produced by the smartphone device.

Additionally, it is noted that the smartphone device and the smart watchdevice can periodically/responsively issue relevant updates to thewireless charging apparatus while they remain connected to the wirelesscharging apparatus. For example, the smartphone device can indicate tothe wireless charging apparatus whether it is appropriate for thesmartphone device to display a notification associated with the smartwatch device. The appropriateness can be based on, for example, whetherthe smartphone device is locked/unlocked, in-use/not in use, and so on.For example, when the smartphone device is in an unlocked state/in-use,the smartphone device can refuse to display any notifications associatedwith the smart watch device. Alternatively, the smartphone device candisplay an unobtrusive notification (e.g., a popup) of the batterystatus of the smart watch device to keep a user informed. Additionally,each of the smartphone device and the smart watch device can providebattery status updates to the wireless charging apparatus as they arecharged to enable a variety of useful features to be implemented. Thiscan enable, for example, the smartphone device to display the latestbattery status of the smart watch device when the smart watch device isremoved from the wireless charging surface, thereby enhancing the userexperience.

A more detailed discussion of these techniques is set forth below anddescribed in conjunction with FIGS. 1, 2A-2D, and 3-6, which illustratedetailed diagrams of systems and methods that can be used to implementthese techniques.

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram 100 of different computing devicesthat can be configured to implement various aspects of the techniquesdescribed herein, according to some embodiments. Specifically, FIG. 1illustrates a high-level overview of a wireless charging apparatus 102that is configured to communicate with and provide an electrical chargeto different computing devices 120. Although not illustrated in FIG. 1,it is understood that the wireless charging apparatus 102 and thecomputing devices 120 each can include at least one processor, at leastone memory, and at least one storage device that collectively enablethese devices to operate in accordance with this disclosure. Forexample, in a given device, instructions can be stored in the at leastone storage device and loaded into the at least one memory for executionby the at least one processor to enable the techniques described hereinto be implemented.

As shown in FIG. 1, the wireless charging apparatus 102 can include apower supply 104, one or more indicators 106, a memory (not illustratedin FIG. 1) for storing device information 110, one or morecommunications components 108, and at least one wireless chargingsurface 112. According to some embodiments, the wireless chargingsurface 112 can implement any form of wireless (e.g., inductive)charging technology to enable one or more computing devices 120 toreceive a charge when placed in proximity to (e.g., directly onto) thewireless charging surface 112. For example, the wireless chargingsurface 112 can implement Qi wireless charging technology, Power MattersAlliance (PMA) technology, or any other form of wireless chargingtechnology. It is noted, however, that wireless charging techniques arenot required to implement the techniques described herein. On thecontrary, the wireless charging surface 112 can be replaced orsupplemented by any component (e.g., a conductor-based chargingcomponent) that enables computing devices 120 to receive a charge andcommunicate with the wireless charging apparatus 102.

According to some embodiments, the indicators 106 included in thewireless charging apparatus 102 can include, for example, light emittingdiodes (LEDs) that indicate a variety of information to an end-user ofthe wireless charging apparatus 102. For example, the LEDs can indicatewhether the power supply 104 is receiving power from a power source,whether at least one computing device 120 is properly connected to andbeing charged via the wireless charging surface 112, and so on.According to some embodiments, the communications component 108 canenable the wireless charging apparatus 102 to transmit information toand receive information from the computing devices 120. According tosome embodiments, this information can be transmitted between thewireless charging apparatus 102 and the computing devices 120 using“in-band” communications that coincide with any wireless chargingtechnology implemented by the wireless charging apparatus 102. In thismanner, pre-existing relationships—e.g., Bluetooth pairings, Near FieldCommunication (NFC) pairing, WiFi pairings, etc.—are not required forthe wireless charging apparatus 102 to effectively communicate with thecomputing devices 120. Moreover, implementing in-band communications canenable the wireless charging apparatus 102 to communicate with a givencomputing device 120 even when the computing device 120 is operating ina minimal mode—e.g., airplane mode—where the primary communicationscomponents (e.g., cellular, Bluetooth, NFC, WiFi, etc.) within thecomputing device 120 are disabled. As described in greater detailherein, it is noted that while the techniques primarily involve thecomputing devices 120 communicating with the wireless charging apparatus102, other approaches can be used without departing from the scope ofthis disclosure. For example, direct communication links (e.g.,cellular, Bluetooth, NFC, WiFi, etc.) between the computing devices 120can supplement or supplant the communications that take place by way ofthe wireless charging apparatus 102 to achieve the same or similarresults.

It is noted that the internal components of the wireless chargingapparatus 102 illustrated in FIG. 1 and described herein do notrepresent an exhaustive list of what can be included in the wirelesscharging apparatus 102. On the contrary, the wireless charging apparatus102 can include any number of components that contribute to orsupplement the embodiments described herein. For example, the wirelesscharging apparatus 102 can include display devices/speakers that can beused to inform end-users about information associated with the wirelesscharging apparatus 102 and/or the computing devices 120. In anotherexample, the wireless charging apparatus 102 can include any form ofinput device to enable interactions with the wireless charging apparatus102 to take place, e.g., touch-screens, biometric sensors, buttons,dials, sliders, and so on. In yet another example, the wireless chargingapparatus 102 can include any communication components (e.g., cellular,Bluetooth, NFC, WiFi, etc.) to enable the wireless charging apparatus102 to communicate with the computing devices 120.

According to some embodiments, the device information 110 can be used bythe wireless charging apparatus 102 to manage the flow of informationbetween the computing devices 120 in accordance with the techniquesdescribed herein. For example, when a computing device 120 is placedonto the wireless charging apparatus 102, the computing device 120 cantransmit, e.g., via the in-band communications described herein, one ormore packets 128 that include relevant information to enable thetechniques described herein to be effectively implemented. For example,as shown in FIG. 1, a packet 128 transmitted by a computing device 120can include a unique identifier (ID) 122 for the computing device 120,one or more known unique IDs 122 of other computing devices 120 known tothe computing device 120, and miscellaneous information 126 associatedwith the computing device 120, the purposes of which are described belowin greater detail.

According to some embodiments, the unique ID 122 can take any form thatenables the computing device 120 to be uniquely identifiable. Forexample, the unique ID 122 can be based on hardware/software properties(e.g., identifiers) associated with the computing device 120. However,in some cases it can be desirable to separate the unique ID 122 fromproperties of the computing device 120, especially in the interest ofpreserving privacy. For example, the unique ID 122 can be arandomly-generated string that is unrelated to the hardware/softwareproperties of the computing device 120. In this manner, nearby maliciousdevices attempting to snoop on information transmitted between thecomputing device 120 and the wireless charging apparatus 102 will onlybe able to gather innocuous data. Moreover, the embodiments describedherein can involve periodically refreshing the unique IDs 122 of thecomputing devices 120 to further-thwart any malicious activity that maybe attempted.

As described above, the packet(s) 128 transmitted by the computingdevice 120 can also one or more known unique IDs 124, which representthe unique IDs 122 of other computing devices 120 that are relevant tothe computing device 120. According to some embodiments, these othercomputing devices 120 can represent devices with which the computingdevice 120 is actively paired or previously paired, e.g., wearabledevices, headphones, speakers, sensors, and so on, that can directlycommunicate with the computing device 120 (e.g., cellular, Bluetooth,NFC, WiFi, etc.). In this manner, and as described in greater detailherein, the wireless charging apparatus 102 can utilize the unique IDs122 and the known unique IDs 124 provided by various computing devices120 to identify when interactions should take place between specificones of the computing devices 120. Additionally, and as described above,the packet(s) 128 transmitted by a computing device 120 can includemiscellaneous information 126 about the computing device 120 that can beutilized by the wireless charging apparatus 102 to implement thetechniques described herein. For example, the miscellaneous information126 can include an indication of a type of the computing device 120,including model information associated with the computing device 120(e.g., a device name, model, color, etc.), state information associatedwith the computing device 120 (e.g., locked/unlocked), batteryinformation associated with the computing device 120, and so on.

Additionally, and although not illustrated in FIG. 1, it will beunderstood that the various computing devices 120 described hereininclude hardware/software components that enable the computing devices120 to interface with the wireless charging apparatus 102, which caninclude, for example, receiving energy from the wireless chargingapparatus 102 (e.g., via the wireless charging surface 112),communicating with the wireless charging apparatus 102, and so on. Itwill be further understood that the various computing devices 120 caninclude hardware/software elements that enable the computing devices 120to implement the techniques described herein at varying levels. Forexample, computing devices 120 having larger display devices (e.g.,laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc.) can be designated asprimary/high-priority devices that display information about knowncomputing devices 120 as they are placed onto/removed from the wirelesscharging apparatus 102. Continuing with this example, computing devices120 having smaller displays (e.g., smart watches) can be designated assecondary/low priority devices that should only display information whenthe primary/high-priority devices are not present on the wirelesscharging apparatus 102. For example, when only a smart watch computingdevice 120 is present on the wireless charging apparatus 102, and a pairof wireless headphones is placed onto the wireless charging apparatus102, the smart watch computing device 120 can take on the responsibilityof displaying information about the wireless headphones in conjunctionwith/on behalf of the wireless headphones. It is noted that theforegoing examples are not meant to be exhausting in any way, and thatthe computing devices 120 described herein can be configured in anyfashion to achieve different variations on the techniques describedherein.

Accordingly, FIG. 1 sets forth an overview of different configurationsof the wireless charging apparatus 102/computing devices 120 that can beutilized to enable the implementation of the embodiments describedherein. As described in greater detail below, these components can beutilized to provide a rich user experience throughcoordinated/complementary notifications when two or more relatedcomputing devices 120 are placed onto the wireless charging apparatus102 for charging.

FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate conceptual diagrams of example computing devices120 displaying complementary notifications in a coordinated manner asthey are placed onto and removed from the wireless charging apparatus102, according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 2A, a first step210 can involve a computing device 120-1 being placed onto the wirelesscharging apparatus 102. This can represent, for example, when a userplaces the computing device 120-1 onto the wireless charging apparatus102 with the intent to charge the computing device 120-1 via thewireless charging techniques described herein. As shown in FIG. 2A, step210 can involve the computing device 120-1 transmitting one or morepackets 128 to the wireless charging apparatus 102. As previouslydescribed above, these packets 128 can include information associatedwith the computing device 120-1, e.g., a unique ID 122, known unique IDs124, and miscellaneous information 126.

As shown in FIG. 2A, example information transmitted by the packets 128is placed into the device information 110 by the wireless chargingapparatus 102. For example, the value “DEVICE_1” can be assigned as theunique ID 122, the values “DEVICE_2” and “DEVICE_3” can be assigned asthe known unique IDs 124, and the value “SMARTPHONE, 52% BAT” can beassigned as the miscellaneous information 126. In this example, thecomputing device 120-1 has an assigned unique ID 122 of “DEVICE_1”,where the computing device 120-1 has been previously paired with twoother computing devices 120—a computing device 120-2 having the uniqueID 122 “DEVICE_2”, and a computing device 120-3 having the unique ID 122“DEVICE_3”. Moreover, in this example the computing device 120-1 is asmartphone device whose battery level is at 52% when the computingdevice 120-1 is placed onto the wireless charging apparatus 102.Additionally, as shown in FIG. 2A, the wireless charging apparatus 102can assign, within the device information 110 for the computing device120-1, a “STATE INFO” property 200 that identifies whether the computingdevice 120-1 is present on or absent from the wireless chargingapparatus 102. The “STATE INFO” property 200 can also identifyadditional information about the computing device 120-1, e.g., whetherthe computing device 120-1 is assigned as a high-prioritydevice/low-priority device for displaying complementary notificationsassociated with other related computing devices 120 that are placed ontothe wireless charging apparatus 102 (as previously described above). Asdescribed in greater detail herein, the “STATE INFO” property 200 canenable the wireless charging apparatus 102 to appropriately respond toand instruct the other computing devices 120-2,3 when they are placedonto/removed from the wireless charging apparatus 102.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 2A, the computing device 120-1 is thefirst and only computing device 120 present on wireless chargingapparatus 102. In this regard, and according to some embodiments, thecomputing device 120-1 can be responsible for displaying its own batterystatus, which is illustrated in FIG. 2A as the notification 202. Asshown in FIG. 2A, the notification 202 can indicate, by way of one ormore animations/sounds, (1) the type of the computing device 120-1(i.e., “SMARTPHONE”), and (2) the battery status for the computingdevice 120-1. It is noted that the content associated with thenotification 202 illustrated in FIG. 2A is merely exemplary, and thatany content, in any form, sequence, manner, etc., can be utilized whenproducing the notification 202.

Accordingly, at the conclusion of the first step 210 illustrated in FIG.2A, the first computing device 120-1 provides useful information via thenotification 202, and is receiving power from the wireless chargingapparatus 102 to charge any internal batteries included in the computingdevice 120-1. At this point, the computing device 120-1 can now functionas a supplemental device for displaying complementary notificationsassociated with the computing devices 120-2,3 when they are placed ontothe wireless charging apparatus 102. For example, a second step 220illustrated in FIG. 2B can involve the computing device 120-2 beingplaced onto the wireless charging apparatus 102. As shown in FIG. 2B,and in accordance with the techniques described herein, the computingdevice 120-2 can provide, via one or more packets 128, information aboutthe computing device 120-2 to the wireless charging apparatus 102. Forexample, the computing device 120-2 can provide the value “DEVICE_2” asthe unique ID 122, the values “DEVICE_1” and “DEVICE_3” as the knownunique IDs 124, and the value “WEARABLE, 17% BAT” as the miscellaneousinformation 126. For example, in FIG. 2A, the computing device 120-2 canrepresent a smart watch, a fitness tracker, an augmented reality device,a sensor, and so on.

As a brief aside, it is noted that each of the computing devices 120placed onto the wireless charging apparatus 102 canperiodically/responsively issue packets 128 to provide relevant updatesto the wireless charging apparatus 102. For example, the deviceinformation 110 can be updated to manage a status property for eachcomputing device 120 that indicates whether the computing device 120 iscapable of displaying a complementary notification. Again, this can bebased on, for example, whether the computing device 120 islocked/unlocked, in-use/not in use, and so on. In another example, thedevice information 110 can be updated to reflect the battery statuses ofthe computing devices 120 as they are charged via the wireless chargingapparatus 102, e.g., as shown by the battery status of the computingdevice 120-1 advancing from 52% to 60% between the times at which step210 of FIG. 2A and step 220 of FIG. 2B occur. Notably, a variety ofuseful features can be implemented by keeping the battery statusesup-to-date within the device information 110. For example, when a pairof headphones is removed from the wireless charging apparatus 102, andan associated device having a display (e.g., a laptop, a tablet, asmartphone, a smart watch, etc.) remains on the wireless chargingapparatus 102, the associated device can display an indication of thelatest battery status of the headphones. In this manner, a user who isremoving the headphones from the wireless charging apparatus 102 canpromptly receive an easy-to-read indication (via the display of theassociated device) of the battery status of the headphones, therebyenhancing the user experience.

Additionally, by updating the information described herein, one or moreof the computing devices 120 can promptly display a summary ofinformation about associated devices that are placed onto the wirelesscharging apparatus 102. This can occur, for example, when a triggeroccurs at a given computing device 120, e.g., when a home/power buttonis pressed on the computing device 120, when the computing device 120 ismoved while placed on the wireless charging apparatus 102 (e.g., nudgedby a user), when the computing device 120 detects that a user is inproximity to the computing device 120, and so on. For example, when asmartphone, a smart watch, and a pair of headphones are charging on thewireless charging apparatus 102, the smartphone can be configured todisplay, in response to any of the aforementioned triggers, anup-to-date summary of its own battery status, the battery status of thesmart watch, and the battery status of the headphones. According to someembodiments, the smartphone can also be configured to cause one or moreof the smart watch/headphones to present information through thecomplementary notifications in a coordinated manner.

Returning back now to FIG. 2B, it is noted that, according to someembodiments, the computing devices 120 can be configured to omit knownunique IDs 124 from the packets 128 any time they represent redundantinformation. Consider, for example, a first computing device 120 that ispaired only with a second computing device 120 (and vice-versa). In thisexample, when the first computing device 120 is placed onto the wirelesscharging apparatus 102 and provides a known unique ID 124 thatcorresponds to the unique ID 122 of the second computing device, itwould be redundant for the second computing device 120 to provide aknown unique ID 124 that corresponds to the unique ID 122 of the firstcomputing device 120. Instead, the wireless charging apparatus 102 canreadily identify the relationship by comparing the unique ID 122 of thesecond computing device 120 against the known unique IDs 124 of thefirst computing device 120 (managed within the device information 110)to identify the relationship, and carry out the same techniquesdescribed herein in accordance with the identification of therelationship.

In any case, when the information associated with the computing device120-2 is incorporated into the device information 110, the wirelesscharging apparatus 102 can identify that the computing device 120-1 andthe computing device 120-2 are relevant to one another. In turn, thewireless charging apparatus 102 can query the computing device 120-1(e.g., via one or more packets 128) to identify whether the computingdevice 120-1 is willing to display a notification 206 in associationwith the computing device 120-2. According to some embodiments, thequery can include the miscellaneous information 126 provided by thecomputing device 120-2 to minimize the number of messages transmittedbetween the computing device 120-1, the wireless charging apparatus 102,and the computing device 120-2, thereby reducing overall latency andimproving the overall user experience. In particular, this approach willenable the computing device 120-1 to be in possession of the necessaryinformation to display within the notification 206 should the computingdevice 120-1 accept the responsibility to do so. For example, thecomputing device 120-1 can indicate an acceptance to display thenotification 206 when the computing device 120-1 remains on the wirelesscharging apparatus 102 and is in a locked and/or inactive state.Alternatively, the computing device 120-1 can indicate a refusal todisplay the notification 206 when the computing device 120-1 is in anunlocked state and/or is being actively utilized by a user.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 2B, the computing device 120-1indicates, to the wireless charging apparatus 102, an acceptance todisplay the notification 206 in association with the computing device120-2 being placed onto the wireless charging apparatus 102. Accordingto some embodiments, the computing device 120-1 can indicate theacceptance by transmitting one or more packets 128 to the wirelesscharging apparatus 102. According to some embodiments, the packets 128can indicate a time delay by which the computing device 120-1 plans ondisplaying the notification 206. In this manner, the wireless chargingapparatus 102 can forward the time delay to the computing device 120-2,where the time delay also indirectly indicates to the computing device120-2 an acceptance by the computing device 120-1 to display thenotification 206. In turn, the computing device 120-2 can prepare todisplay a complementary notification 210 in accordance with the timedelay provided by the computing device 120-1.

As shown in FIG. 2B, the notification 206 is displayed by the computingdevice 120-1 when the time delay is satisfied, and can indicateinformation about the computing device 120-2 through one or moreanimations/sounds. For example, the animations/sounds can display“WEARABLE BATTERY 17%”. Moreover, in accordance with the satisfaction ofthe time delay, and in conjunction with the notification 206, thenotification 210 produced by the computing device 120-2 can includemiscellaneous information presented through one or moreanimations/sounds, e.g., when the computing device 120-2 includes adisplay device (e.g., a smart watch). In another example, when thecomputing device 120-2 does not include a display device, but includesone or more LEDs, the LED(s) can be utilized to communicate informationto a user, e.g., pulsating animations that coincide with theanimations/sounds displayed by the computing device 120-1. In anotherexample, the LED(s) can display a solid orange light that indicates thatthe computing device 120-2 is being charged, a solid green light thatindicates that the computing device 120-2 is fully charged, and so on.In any case, the user experience can be enhanced as useful informationabout the computing device 120-2 is displayed in anaesthetically-pleasing manner between the computing device 120-1 and thecomputing device 120-2 even when the computing device 120-2 includesonly a small display device or no display device at all.

As described herein, computing devices 120 will regularly be placed ontothe wireless charging apparatus 102 under expected use-caseenvironments. To capture how the embodiments described herein managesuch events, FIG. 2C illustrates a third step 230 in which a thirdcomputing device 120-3 is placed onto the wireless charging apparatus102 (while the computing device 120-1 and the computing device 120-2remain on the wireless charging apparatus 102). As shown in FIG. 2C, andin accordance with the techniques described herein, the computing device120-3 can provide, via one or more packets 128, information about thecomputing device 120-3 to the wireless charging apparatus 102. Forexample, the computing device 120-3 can provide the value “DEVICE_3” asthe unique ID 122, the values “DEVICE_1” and “DEVICE_2” as the knownunique IDs 124, and the value “HEADPHONES, 23% BAT” as the miscellaneousinformation 126. For example, in FIG. 2C, the computing device 120-3 canrepresent a pair of wireless headphones associated with both thecomputing device 120-1 and the computing device 120-2.

As shown in FIG. 2C, and as previously described above, the wirelesscharging apparatus 102 can receive the packets 128 and add theinformation about the computing device 120-3 to the device information110. In turn, the wireless charging apparatus 102 can identify that thecomputing device 120-1 and the computing device 120-2 are known to thecomputing device 120-3, and issue messages (e.g., via packets 128) thatinclude information about the computing device 120-3. Again, suchinformation can include a type of the computing device 120-3, a batterystatus of the computing device 120-3, and so on. In turn, the computingdevice 120-1 and the computing device 120-2 can indicate whether theyare willing (as described herein) to display a notification inassociation with the appearance of the computing device 120-3. Accordingto some embodiments, when two or more computing devices 120 are involvedin displaying a notification, a primary computing device (e.g., thecomputing device 120-1) can indicate a time delay by which thenotification should be displayed, where the other computing devices 120act in accordance with the time delay.

For example, in FIG. 2C, the computing device 120-1 can indicate, to thewireless charging apparatus 102, a time delay at which a notification214 will be displayed at the computing device 120-1. In turn, thewireless charging apparatus 102 can provide the time delay to both thecomputing device 120-2 and the computing device 120-3, whereupon thecomputing device 120-2 and the computing device 120-3 can prepare todisplay notifications 218 and 222, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2C,the notification 214 displayed by the computing device 120-1 can presentthe information “HEADPHONES BATTERY 23%” by way of one or moreanimations/sounds. Additionally, the notification 218 produced by thecomputing device 120-2 can communicate miscellaneous information aboutthe computing device 120-3 by way of one or more animations/sounds. Forexample, continuing with the example scenario described above in whichthe computing device 120-2 represents a smart watch, the computingdevice 120-2 can display miscellaneous information in conjunction withthe notification 214 displayed by the computing device 120-1.Additionally, in this example scenario, the notification 222 produced bythe computing device 120-3 can be optional, and can be used communicatemiscellaneous information by way of one or more animations/sounds inaccordance with the time delay and one or more of the notification 214and the notification 218. For example, the computing device 120-3—which,within FIG. 2C, can represent a pair of wireless headphones—can includean LED that operates in conjunction with the animations/sounds. Inanother example, one or more of the speakers included in the pair ofwireless headphones can be used to play an audible sound that operatesin conjunction with the animations/sounds.

Additionally, it is noted that computing devices 120 will regularly beremoved from the wireless charging apparatus 102 under expected use-casescenarios. To capture how the embodiments described herein manage suchevents, FIG. 2D illustrates a fourth step 240 in which the computingdevice 120-2 is removed from the wireless charging apparatus 102 (whilethe computing device 120-1 and the computing device 120-3 remain on thewireless charging apparatus 102). As shown in FIG. 2D, and in accordancewith the techniques described herein, the device information 110 can beupdated to reflect that the computing device 120-2 is now absent fromthe wireless charging apparatus 102. In turn, the wireless chargingapparatus 102 can be configured to notify the related computing devices120—i.e., the computing device 120-1 and the computing device 120-3—thatthe computing device 120-2 is no longer present. At this point, thecomputing device 120-1 can optionally display (e.g., if locked/in use,as described herein) a notification 226 that provides the up-to-datebattery status of the computing device 120-2 by way of one or moreanimations/sounds. Additionally, the computing device 120-3 canoptionally display a notification 230 that provides miscellaneousinformation (as previously described herein) about the computing device120-2 by way of one or more animations/sounds.

Accordingly, FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate scenarios in which computing devices120 can display, in a coordinated manner, complementary notifications inaccordance with (1) their placement onto/removal from the wirelesscharging apparatus 102, and (2) the presence of other known computingdevices 120. In association with FIGS. 2A-2D, additional FIGS. 3-5—whichare described below—provide high-level breakdowns of the techniquesdescribed herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method 300 that involves the wireless chargingapparatus 102 causing computing devices 120 that are coupled to thewireless charging apparatus 102 to display complementary notificationsin a coordinated manner, according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG.3, the method 300 begins at step 302, the wireless charging apparatus102 establishes, in response to detecting a first presence of a firstcomputing device 120, a first communication channel with the firstcomputing device 120. Again, the communication channel can be an“in-band” communication channel associated with the wireless chargingtechniques implemented between the wireless charging apparatus 102 andthe first computing device 120. However, it is noted that the techniquesdescribed herein are not limited only to such in-band communications,and that any form of communication can be utilized to enable thewireless charging apparatus 102 and the computing devices 120 tocommunicate with one another. For example, existing communicationchannels (e.g., cellular, Bluetooth, NFC, WiFi, etc.) formed between thewireless charging apparatus 102/computing devices 120 can be used toexchange information in lieu of/addition to the communication channelsdescribed herein. At step 304, the wireless charging apparatus 102receives, from the first computing device 120, first information thatincludes (1) a first unique ID 122 associated with the first computingdevice 120, and (2) one or more unique IDs 124 that are each associatedwith a respective auxiliary computing device 120 known to the firstcomputing device.

At step 306, the wireless charging apparatus 102 establishes, inresponse to detecting a second presence of a second computing device120, a second communication channel with the second computing device120. At step 308, the wireless charging apparatus 102 receives, from thesecond computing device 120, second information that includes (1) asecond unique ID 122 associated with the second computing device 120.Notably, in step 308 the known unique IDs 124 associated with the secondcomputing device 120 can be omitted from the second information when theknown unique IDs 124 are redundant to the wireless charging apparatus102, as previously described herein. However, it is by no means arequirement to omit the known unique IDs 124 at step 308. On thecontrary, the second computing device 120 can be configured to provide acomplete collection of the known unique IDs 124 to the wireless chargingapparatus 102 to enable the wireless charging apparatus 102 to readilyidentify related computing devices 120 as they are placed onto andremoved from the wireless charging apparatus 102.

Finally, at step 310, the wireless charging apparatus 102 determinesthat the second unique ID 122 is included in the one or more unique IDs124 (provided by the first computing device 120), and, in response,causes both the first computing device 120 and the second computingdevice 120 to display respective notifications in a coordinated manner.The notifications can include, for example, information about one ormore of the first computing device 120 and the second computing device120 (e.g., device types, battery statuses, etc.).

FIG. 4 illustrates a method 400 that involves a first computing device120 coupling to the wireless charging apparatus 102 and displayingcomplementary notifications in a coordinated manner with other relatedcomputing devices 120 that are coupled to the wireless chargingapparatus 102, according to some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 4, themethod 400 begins at step 402, where the first computing device 120establishes a communication channel with a wireless charging apparatus102. At step 404, the first computing device 120 provides, by way of thecommunication channel, (1) a first unique ID 122 associated with thefirst computing device 120, (2) one or more unique IDs 124 that are eachassociated with a respective auxiliary computing device 120 known to thefirst computing device 120, and (3) a first battery status for the firstcomputing device 120.

At step 406, the first computing device 120 receives, from the wirelesscharging apparatus 102, a notification that a second computing device120 among the respective auxiliary computing devices 120 iscommunicatively coupled to the wireless charging apparatus 102, wherethe notification includes a second battery status associated with thesecond computing device 120. At step 408, the first computing device 120determines whether the first computing device 120 is unlocked/in-use.If, at step 408, the first computing device 120 determines that thefirst computing device 120 is unlocked/in-use, then the method 400transitions to step 414, where the first computing device 120 indicatesthat it will not display a notification in conjunction with the secondcomputing device 120 being coupled to the wireless charging apparatus102. Alternatively, if, at step 408, the first computing device 120determines that the first computing device 120 is not unlocked/in-use,then the method 400 transitions to step 410, which is described below ingreater detail.

At step 410, the first computing device 120 indicates, to the wirelesscharging apparatus 102, a time delay by which an indication of thesecond battery status is to be displayed by the first computing device120. At step 412, the first computing device 120 displays the indicationof the second battery status in accordance with the time delay. Althoughnot illustrated in FIG. 4, it is noted that the second computing device120 can also be configured to display animations/sounds in accordancewith the time delay provided by the first computing device 120 (asdescribed herein).

FIG. 5 illustrates a method 500 that involves a smartphone 502 and asmart watch 504 displaying complementary notifications in accordancewith their placement onto the wireless charging apparatus 102, accordingto some embodiments. As shown in FIG. 5, the method 500 begins at step510, where the smartphone 502 is placed onto the wireless chargingapparatus 102. At step 512, the smartphone 502 provides, to the wirelesscharging apparatus 102, a unique ID 122, known unique IDs 124, and abattery status (i.e., miscellaneous information 126) for the smartphone502. At step 513, the smartphone 502 itself can display the batterystatus of the smartphone 502. In turn, at step 514, the wirelesscharging apparatus 102 registers—e.g., within the device information110—the unique ID 122, the known unique IDs 124, and the battery statusprovided by the smartphone 502.

At step 516, a smart watch 504 is placed onto the wireless chargingapparatus 102. At step 518, the smart watch 504 provides, to thewireless charging apparatus 102, a unique ID 122, known unique IDs 124,and a battery status for the smart watch 504. Again, and as previouslydescribed above, it is noted that it can be optional for the smart watch504 to provide the known unique IDs 124, as it is likely that thewireless charging apparatus 102 will be able to match the unique ID 122of the smart watch 504 with the known unique IDs 124 provided by thesmartphone 502. In any case, at step 520, the wireless chargingapparatus 102 registers the unique ID 122, the known unique IDs 124, andthe battery status of the smart watch 504. At step 522, the wirelesscharging apparatus 102 identifies that the smart watch 504 and thesmartphone 502 are related devices.

In response to the identification that occurs at step 522, at step 524,the wireless charging apparatus 102 provides the battery status of thesmart watch 504 to the smartphone 502. In turn, at step 526, thesmartphone 502 provides, to the wireless charging apparatus 102, a timedelay by which a first notification including the battery status of thesmart watch 504 is to be displayed by the first computing device 120. Atstep 528, the wireless charging apparatus 102 informs (e.g., via packets128) the smart watch 504 of the time delay. Accordingly, at step 530,the smart watch 504 prepares to display a second notification (e.g.,including complementary information to the first notification) inaccordance with the time delay. Finally, at steps 532 and 534, thesmartphone 502 and the smart watch 504 display the first notificationand the second notification, respectively, in accordance with the timedelay.

Additionally, it is noted that the orders/manners in which the foregoinginteractions between the wireless charging apparatus 102 and the variouscomputing devices 120 can be modified without departing from the scopeof this disclosure. For example, the computing devices 120 can beconfigured submit fewer parameters to the wireless charging apparatus102 when being placed upon/establishing a communication channel with thewireless charging apparatus 102. This can be implemented, for example,to establish a more reactive environment in which the wireless chargingapparatus 102 queries present computing devices 120 (if any) aboutwhether they are familiar with a new computing device 120 that is beingplaced onto the wireless charging apparatus 102 (e.g., as opposed to thecomputing devices 120 notifying the wireless charging apparatus 102about known computing devices 120 when being placed onto the wirelesscharging apparatus 102). In this manner, flexible operating environmentscan be implemented in which the wireless charging apparatus102/computing devices 120 can be configured to effectively identifyappropriate times at which to coordinate notifications between computingdevices 120 that are known to one another. Moreover, it is noted thatthe informational components that are communicated between the wirelesscharging apparatus 102 and the computing devices 120 can be transmittedusing fewer (or more) messages in comparison to the various examplesdescribed herein without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

Additionally, it is noted that the embodiments set forth herein do notrequire computing devices 120 to be known to one another in order toparticipate in the coordinated notification schemes described herein.For example, it might be beneficial for a user to place their wearablecomputing device 120—e.g., one that does not have a built-in displaydevice—onto the wireless charging apparatus 102, upon which an unrelated(e.g., a friend or family member's) computing device 120—e.g., onehaving a built-in display—and that is placed on the wireless chargingapparatus 102—assists in displaying relevant information (e.g., abattery status) associated with the wearable computing device 120. Inthis regard, the computing devices 120 can be configured (e.g., via asettings menu) to participate or ignore coordinated notification eventswhen unknown computing devices 120 are placed onto the wireless chargingapparatus 102. It is additionally noted that the embodiments set forthherein can be adapted to include computing devices 120 that are notnecessarily placed on the wireless charging apparatus 102 asparticipants in the coordinated notification schemes described herein.For example, the wireless charging apparatus 102 can be configured tonotify nearby computing devices 120 (e.g., via a direct connection, theInternet, etc.) when other computing devices 120 are placed onto/removedfrom the wireless charging apparatus 102. This can be beneficial, forexample, when a user places their wearable computing device 120 onto thewireless charging apparatus 102, but is holding their smartphonecomputing device 120 away from (e.g., above or near) the wirelesscharging apparatus 102. In this regard, the wireless charging apparatus102 can provide information to the smartphone computing device 120 aboutthe wearable computing device 120, whereupon the smartphone computingdevice 120 can display the information in a coordinated manner.

FIG. 6 illustrates a detailed view of a computing device 600 that canrepresent the computing devices of FIG. 1 used to implement the varioustechniques described herein, according to some embodiments. For example,the detailed view illustrates various components that can be included inthe computing device 120/wireless charging apparatus 102 described inconjunction with FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 6, the computing device 600can include a processor 602 that represents a microprocessor orcontroller for controlling the overall operation of the computing device600. The computing device 600 can also include a user input device 608that allows a user of the computing device 600 to interact with thecomputing device 600. For example, the user input device 608 can take avariety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, touch screen, audioinput interface, visual/image capture input interface, input in the formof sensor data, and so on. Still further, the computing device 600 caninclude a display 610 that can be controlled by the processor 602 (e.g.,via a graphics component) to display information to the user. A data bus616 can facilitate data transfer between at least a storage device 640,the processor 602, and a controller 613. The controller 613 can be usedto interface with and control different equipment through an equipmentcontrol bus 614. The computing device 600 can also include a network/businterface 611 that couples to a data link 612. In the case of a wirelessconnection, the network/bus interface 611 can include a wirelesstransceiver.

As noted above, the computing device 600 also includes the storagedevice 640, which can comprise a single disk or a collection of disks(e.g., hard drives). In some embodiments, storage device 640 can includeflash memory, semiconductor (solid state) memory or the like. Thecomputing device 600 can also include a Random-Access Memory (RAM) 620and a Read-Only Memory (ROM) 622. The ROM 622 can store programs,utilities or processes to be executed in a non-volatile manner. The RAM620 can provide volatile data storage, and stores instructions relatedto the operation of applications executing on the computing device 600.

The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of thedescribed embodiments can be used separately or in any combination.Various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented bysoftware, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. Thedescribed embodiments can also be embodied as computer readable code ona computer readable medium. The computer readable medium is any datastorage device that can store data which can thereafter be read by acomputer system. Examples of the computer readable medium includeread-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape,hard disk drives, solid state drives, and optical data storage devices.The computer readable medium can also be distributed overnetwork-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code isstored and executed in a distributed fashion.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the describedembodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe specific details are not required in order to practice the describedembodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodimentsare presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the described embodiments to theprecise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill inthe art that many modifications and variations are possible in view ofthe above teachings.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for enabling a first electronic deviceto display notifications, the method comprising, at the first electronicdevice: establishing a communication channel with a wireless chargingapparatus in conjunction with being placed on the wireless chargingapparatus; receiving, from the wireless charging apparatus, dataindicating that a second electronic device is removed from the wirelesscharging apparatus, wherein the data includes information associatedwith a state of the second electronic device; in response to identifyingthat the first electronic device remains placed on the wireless chargingapparatus and is operating in a mode under which to providenotifications: providing a notification based on the state of the secondelectronic device.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, priorto receiving the data: receiving, from the wireless charging apparatus,an indication that the second electronic device is placed onto thewireless charging apparatus and is communicatively coupled to thewireless charging apparatus.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein theindication specifies that the second electronic device and the firstelectronic device are paired electronic devices.
 4. The method of claim1, wherein information includes a battery charge level of the secondelectronic device.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the notificationdisplays, at least in part, information associated with the batterycharge level of the second electronic device.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the first electronic device is operating under the mode when thefirst electronic device is in a locked and/or inactive state.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device is a smartphoneor a tablet, and the second electronic device is a smartwatch.
 8. Anon-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to storeinstructions that, when executed by a processor included in a firstelectronic device, cause the first electronic device to displaynotifications, by carrying out steps that include: establishing acommunication channel with a wireless charging apparatus in conjunctionwith being placed on the wireless charging apparatus; receiving, fromthe wireless charging apparatus, data indicating that a secondelectronic device is removed from the wireless charging apparatus,wherein the data includes information associated with a state of thesecond electronic device; in response to identifying that the firstelectronic device remains placed on the wireless charging apparatus andis operating in a mode under which to provide notifications: providing anotification based on the state of the second electronic device.
 9. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein thesteps further include, prior to receiving the data: receiving, from thewireless charging apparatus, an indication that the second electronicdevice is placed onto the wireless charging apparatus and iscommunicatively coupled to the wireless charging apparatus.
 10. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein theindication specifies that the second electronic device and the firstelectronic device are paired electronic devices.
 11. The non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein informationincludes a battery charge level of the second electronic device.
 12. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein thenotification displays, at least in part, information associated with thebattery charge level of the second electronic device.
 13. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein thefirst electronic device is operating under the mode when the firstelectronic device is in a locked and/or inactive state.
 14. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein thefirst electronic device is a smartphone or a tablet, and the secondelectronic device is a smartwatch.
 15. A method for enabling a firstelectronic device to display notifications, the method comprising, at awireless charging apparatus: establishing a communication channel withthe first electronic device in conjunction with the first electronicdevice being placed on the wireless charging apparatus; and providing,to the first electronic device, data indicating that a second electronicdevice is removed from the wireless charging apparatus, wherein thedata: includes information associated with a state of the secondelectronic device, and causes the first electronic device to, inresponse to identifying that the first electronic device remains placedon the wireless charging apparatus and is operating in a mode underwhich to provide notifications, provide a notification based on thestate of the second electronic device.
 16. The method of claim 15,further comprising, prior to providing the data to the first electronicdevice: identifying that the second electronic device is placed onto thewireless charging apparatus and is communicatively coupled to thewireless charging apparatus.
 17. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising: indicating to the first electronic device that the secondelectronic device and the first electronic device are paired electronicdevices.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein information includes abattery charge level of the second electronic device.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, wherein the notification displays, at least in part,information associated with the battery charge level of the secondelectronic device.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the firstelectronic device is a smartphone or a tablet, and the second electronicdevice is a smartwatch.